We can win Cup: Mackay

SOCCEROOS midfielder Matt McKay says Australia's depth will ensure the host nation has a great chance of winning its first Asian Cup.

McKay played in all six games as the Socceroos reached the final of the 2011 tournament in Qatar, the team suffering a heart-breaking 1-0 loss in extra-time to arch-rival Japan.

Ahead of tonight's opening match against Kuwait in Melbourne, the new Brisbane Roar captain said he believed the 23-man squad had no weaknesses, despite coming into the tournament as just the 10th highest-ranked team.

"I think we have got a lot of depth. I think that is important," he told afcasiancup.com.

"We have got a team I believe now will have a lot of attacking threat.

"We are a mobile team as well and I think that is one of our strengths.

"We have got no weaknesses at the moment.

"There is that added pressure being at home, but I think our team thrives at home and we have had a great record in the last few years in Australia.

"The whole team is just excited to get out there. We have been in camp now for 10 days, and that preparation phase has been done and we want to play games.

"We know they will come thick and fast and we are going to have to be ready for everything that is thrown at us."

As well as Kuwait, the Socceroos face Oman and South Korea in its Group A matches.

Kuwait, which lost all three group stage games in 2011, played in November's Gulf Cup, beating 2007 Asian Cup winner Iraq and drawing with the highly-rated Saudi Arabia.

McKay said the team had watched replays of Kuwait's matches at that tournament, adding it was clear Australia would not have everything its own way.

"We have watched a bit of Kuwait's stuff from the Gulf Cup and know that on their day they can really hurt teams," he said.

"They have got some really dangerous players and we have to be sure to nullify our threats and push forward and play the game we want to play."

While he tipped Group A rival South Korea, as well as fellow World Cup qualifier Japan and Iran as the hardest teams for the Socceroos to beat, McKay said several other teams had the ability to reach the last four.

"You look at the four teams who went to Brazil and those four teams will be right up there, but China under their new manager and also the UAE and Qatar both had good Gulf Cups, so there are so many other teams," he said.